Traditional saddles have a solid backbone or “tree”, traditionally made of wood (more recently materials have included fiberglass, metal and plastic), round which a leather (or synthetic equivalent) is mounted. Inevitably placing such a rigid structure on a moving surface such as horse's back can give rise to difficulties with the fit of the saddle to the horse. In the case of some traditional saddles this is partially addressed by using a thick saddle blanket. However with close contact saddles the issue is addressed by attention to fit, either by having a bespoke saddle made for the horse (which is very expensive), or by careful selection from a range of off the peg designs. It is estimated that a saddlery wishing to carry a basic range of off the peg saddles, covering the three main saddle styles (dressage, jumping, general purpose), in one single colour option, and to fit most sizes of horse and rider, would have to stock in excess of 72 different saddles.
Even when a rider invests in a bespoke saddle, the traditional, static design based on a rigid tree does not allow for the changes in a horse's shape that occur as it moves, or as there are variations in its fitness. Even the best fitting saddle cannot distribute the pressure evenly throughout the range of a horse's movement, and even a well fitting tree saddle will inevitably create pressure points on the horse's back, especially when turning tightly, when the saddle tree acts as a longitudinal splint on the spine, or when riding up or down hill or jumping, when the load is transmitted by the tree towards the front or back of the saddle. This can cause pain and restrict movement of the horse, and can potentially leading to a range of physiological and behavioural problems such as bucking, rearing, lameness, bruising of the muscles, muscular atrophy and in more severe cases, tissue necrosis.
New designs of saddle have been developed, both to try to address the problems described above, and to facilitate newly evolved riding disciplines such as endurance and vaulting. All still use a static method of mounting the saddle on the horse. Many of these new designs are described as “treeless”, but in practice most are “semi-treed”, in that they have a rigid internal fitting at either the pommel or the cantle of the saddle. This can lead to weight being distributed over fewer points than a standard tree, which, in some circumstances, can exacerbate the problem. Saddles that have no tree at all do nothing to spread the pressure of the girth and the stirrups, the full force of which is therefore concentrated immediately over the mounting points. There is also a perception that such saddles are not as secure on the horse, as many treeless designs do not include a gullet, which has the effect of reducing lateral stability. A further disadvantage of many such saddles is that it is difficult to design them to look like the traditional English saddle, a look that is very popular in the market.
An additional issue with traditional close contact saddle design is that the mounting position of the stirrups can be quite critical to the ability of the rider to effectively balance on their horse. Many buyers' choice of saddle is primarily based on this factor, in an attempt to ensure that they are able to sit in the ideal position “over” the stirrups. There is little or no allowance in most saddles for any adjustment of the stirrup bar mounting position, so that this factor can quite severely restrict the choice of saddle, and associated ability to ensure a good fit.
WO2010/079354 describes a “treeless” saddle which has a dynamic load distribution system. The saddle includes several load-bearing sections positioned upon two flexible inner side panels. Line guides are fixed to the sections, and load distribution lines pass through the guides, and loop around free-running pulleys of the stirrup hanger system. A stirrup hanger bar includes diverter pulleys and cooperates with a pulley block to transfer loads through the load-distribution lines to the load-bearing sections around the saddle. The girthing system of the saddle includes webbing members attached to the load-bearing sections. The webbing members are connected to the ends of girth straps so that load is transferred from the girth straps to the load-bearing sections on each side of the saddle. The dynamic load distribution system reduces localised load pressure points and permits flexing of the animal's spine.
In the following discussion, the invention will be generally described in relation to equestrian uses of the invention. However, the invention is broadly applicable to pack animals as well as mounts for personal transport.
It is an object of the invention to obviate or mitigate at least some of the aforesaid problems by providing improvements in saddle design.